1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape cassette and particularly to a display structure of a scale which serves as a yardstick for a remaining amount in the tape cassette.
2. Background of the Invention
A tape cassette is currently in wide use for various services and particularly, an audio compact cassette has a great many users from an installation-type recording reproduction apparatus to a portable reproduction apparatus.
As this audio compact cassette is easily manipulated, there are many users who individually enjoy themselves by recording a piece of music from a CD (compact disk) and hence, on sale are cassettes which have various recording minutes in matched to the recording time of the CD,
However, it is not always possible to prepare a cassette corresponding to the recording time, thereby giving rise to a need to accurately grasp or know a remaining volume (remaining recordable time) of the tape in a case of continuously recording from a previously recorded portion.
Accordingly, a cassette with a scale as a yardstick for the remaining volume of the tape attached to a cassette housing has widely been executed. That is, this tape cassette is such that scales of 0, 50, 100 and the like at an equal distance are displayed on a transparent or semi-transparent cassette housing, thereby making it possible to roughly grasp the remaining recordable time of the tape with the scale as the yardstick by ascertaining a wound up diameter of the tape.
Some conventional scales are integrally projectingly formed on a surface of the cassette housing by a stamp carved on a metal die, but in this case, it is impossible to change the scale corresponding to kinds of the recording minute numeral value, and hence, with the same scale being in place, whereby it has been difficult to accurately grasp the remaining recordable time of the tape.
Then, as a replacement for this, if the scale is displayed on the surface of the cassette housing by way of printing, the scale in matched to the kinds of minute numeral values of the recording can be formed easily.
However, with the tape cassette wherein the scale is displayed by the printing like this, there is a fear that the scale becomes indiscernible when its surface is attached with scratches or a stain.
That is, in case of a cassette deck which is used in an environment having a large vibration like, for example, a car stereo and the like, as the cassette is comparatively secured firm to surely receive or transmit a signal between a head and a tape, the printed surface is attached with scratches and a stain by fixing tool upon the cassette being loaded or ejected and as a result, there has been a fear that the scale becomes indiscernible and a function of displaying the remaining volume of the tape is lost.
In order to avoid this, a method is conceivable to print the scale from an inside of the cassette housing, but in this case, the printing by using a specifically shaped pad (tampo) becomes necessary, so that not only an installation becomes complex but also costs are increased.